EXECUTIVE NOTES By Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director
Progress and change on the international level has a huge impact on our sport here and overseas One of wrestling’s strengths as a sport in today’s society is its
affiliation with the Olympic Games, the largest and most impact- ful sports activity on our planet. Perhaps those of us in wrestling understand this impact even
more than those in other sports. When the IOC considered removing wrestling from the Olympic program, the worldwide wrestling community came together like never before. We learned that wrestling truly has worldwide participation and inter- est, and that we can never take it for granted ever again. It is the job of our international wrestling federation, United
World Wrestling (UWW), to lead wrestling on the global scene. It is very important for the future of our sport that UWW have a strong and effective presence within the Olympic community, and in each of the nations where our sport is practiced. Part of that leadership includes being relevant in today’s soci-
ety and changing with the times. As a sport, we can only grow and thrive if we stay on the cutting edge of world culture, and be a reflection of the peoples of the world. USA Wrestling applauds the new UWW initiative called the
“Super 8” campaign, which is focused upon the development of women’s wrestling around the world. There may be no more important program that our international federation can under- take to help build and strengthen our sport in the future than having a serious commitment to the women’s program. One of the reasons that the campaign is called Super 8 is that
eight top women’s wrestling leaders and athletes have been selected to serve as ambassadors for the program. The United States is proud that our two-time World medalist Helen Maroulis has been selected as one of these ambassadors. Helen has already made a major impact on wrestling, not only
with her excellent wrestling, but with her ability to communicate with the general public as an advocate for wrestling. She has been asked by UWW to hold camps, host tournaments and make public appearances in our nation, and USA Wrestling will support this with passion.
UWW will also host an important exhibi-
tion at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland on women’s wrestling, with panel discussions, demonstrations, inter- active activities and more on January 14. This event will show the Olympic family our sport’s vibrant growth in women’s par- ticipation and its commitment to its growth. The Super 8 campaign concludes on International Women’s Day on March 8 at the Women’s World Cup in St. Petersburg. We are also proud that UWW President Nenad Lalovic has recently been selected as one of the top innovators in world sport by Sports Business International. He was ranked No. 9 on the list, which includes many other major sports leaders. This is the second year he has received this honor. When Lalovic was selected to lead UWW as its president, he promised change and improvement, and he has worked tireless- ly to make his vision for the future a reality. USA Wrestling sup- ports Lalovic in his leadership and vision. As we went to press with this magazine, the U.S. Olympic Committee has announced that it selected Boston, Mass. as the U.S. bid city for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. Boston emerged in a process which included three other finalist cities, all which had outstanding bids, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. USA Wrestling is excited that the USOC has decided to bid
once again for a Summer Olympic Games. The last time we had the opportunity to host the Summer Games was in 1996 in Atlanta, Ga. USOC President Larry Probst and CEO Scott Blackmun have worked hard on Team USA’s international rela- tions and we have a great chance to win the bid process. There are so many advantages for USA Wrestling when an Olympic Games is hosted in our nation. We have a chance to work with the bid city on wrestling projects leading up to the Games. When the event is held, our U.S. athletes compete with pride and skill on our home mats. It also helps us promote wrestling to young Americans. We will do all in our power to support the USOC and Boston 2024 in their efforts.
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